Development of the Vegetation of New York State 151 
bit of chestnut forest that I have seen in New York grows 
upon these sand beds near Phoenix. Fig. 34. It is claimed 
that in certain districts the farmers realize more Income 
from the sale of chestnuts than from all other farm products. 
(6) The Sand Beds of the Adirondacks. 
The general thought will be, not that the sand deposits of 
the Adirondacks are a dry or barren terrain, but a great fac- 
tor in forest production. This is very obviously the case and 
just on that account it is of moment that we should consider 
what is involved in the ruthless destruction of such a forest 
cover and especially its supporting blanket of duff, by lum- 
bering methods which involve not only breaking up the for- 
est stand but burning over subsequently. It means, then, the 
long story of beginning again the building up a forest soil — 
a process involving too long a period to be practicable for the 
private owner. Naturally, more is involved here than the de- 
velopment of vegetation on sand, for there is much bare rock 
exposure, slopes covered with boulders, soils of clay and other 
debris than sand, but so far as the sand is concerned the course 
of forest re-establishment involves a pioneer stage of mosses 
(Polytrichum largely) and of grasses, composites, etc.; of 
vast patches of bracken fern and in many eases the establish- 
ment of heath-shrubs (blueberry patches) or as on other soils, 
the thickets of red raspberry (Rubus strigosus Michx.) Fig. 
46, and the customary forest weed stage of aspen (Populus 
tremuloides Michx.) fire cherry (Prunus pennsylvanica. U.. 
f.) large toothed aspen (Populus grandidentata Michx.) and 
seedlings of the climax forest. In my observation, which for 
a final judgment is quite insufficient, the percentage of white 
pine seedlings or those of birch, maple, red spruce, ete., is not 
large enough to give any lively hope of rapid establishment of 
a stand capable of developing commercially valuable forest. 
As in all other cases cited, white pine tends to become domi- 
nant, or was the original dominant species on the looser, drier 
sand beds (I take the instance of heavy pine stands on the 
high ridges about Big Shallow and Little Shallow ponds in 
